1688 Buying Guides
We provide the hassle-free buying experience
As a professional 1688 buying agent, we bridge the gap between international buyers and China’s largest treasure trove of quality, cost-effective products- 1688 site. Ensuring our customers gain access to the exact goods they desire, all while guaranteeing a hassle-free shopping experience.
We handle everything for you – from product selection, quality verification, and payment processing, to international shipping.
We provided a customized procurement plan based on their different needs and requirements. Some customers send us pictures and parameters of the products they need to purchase, while others already use 1688 and have an account with us to assist in receiving packages, inspecting goods and consolidating shipments.
Let’s see how we help our customers make global shopping on 1688.com an absolute breeze!
Customer sent us the product photos
A considerable number of customers come to us with photos or specific product parameters and requirements. Some of them also sent us the product links that they saw on Amazon or some other websites and wanted to source.
Our team will do some research on the product and parameters also confirm details with customers to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the products customers need.
Then, through our professional procurement knowledge and understanding of various industries and production bases in China, we locate the areas that have advantages in the production of this product.
Next, we will enter product keywords on the 1688 platform and locate suppliers in major industrial belts. Among the many results that follow, 3-5 candidate suppliers are screened through multiple dimensions. Such as the supplier’s establishment years, turnover, whether it has a factory inspection certificate, production capacity, price, etc. Then send their quotations to buyers to make preliminary selections.
We will request samples from the 1688 suppliers and ship to overseas buyers for the final quality evaluation. After confirming the sample, place the order on 1688. com for them.
Although the products were purchased from 1688.com, for orders of a slightly larger amount, we will also create a detailed purchase contract for the factory. Always list all the details of the products and production requirements to prevent the factory from making mistakes in the production process.
Then we will follow up on the order with them frequently, and check the status all the time until the goods have been finished. The orders have been placed on 1688.com, also request the payment through the platform. So before the vendors ship out the goods to us, they will need to settle the payment.
1688.com has a buyer protection program, and when using the third-party Alipay escrow service, the buyer’s money is held by Alipay. Vendor can only get paid after the buyer is satisfied with this order and confirms receipt of the goods. Third-party escrow is a relatively safe way to pay for buying and selling online.
The product will be thoroughly inspected to ensure that there are no quality issues before the goods are confirmed on the platform. When found defective products, will contact the factory and let them replace or refund.
Already selected the products on 1688.com
There are also some customers who already know how to search on 1688.com and select the products on Alibaba. They normally send us an Excel file with the links to the products they want to purchase.
Usually, the order quantity, color, and model or size are also listed on the form.
Before we place the order, we will confirm with each supplier if the products the customer wants to buy are in stock and how fast can be shipped. For the ones out of stock or do not get enough inventory to ship. We will update our customers immediately and ask them if want to replace it with some other items, or we help them source from other suppliers.
Depends on the customer’s requirements and order quantity. We always suggest purchasing one sample before placing the bulk order, especially for a first-time order from that supplier.
For buyers who purchase in small quantities, they think it’s not necessary to send samples to them by courier. We will purchase samples and take detailed photos and videos for them to judge. Sometimes you can’t judge the real product by the embellished photos and videos on the 1688 stores.
After making sure that there are sufficient supplies of all the goods without problems, we will start purchasing by our 1688 account.
Add items to your shopping cart and then consolidate and submit an order for the items you need to purchase. The interface on the left will appear, and the platform will automatically calculate the total amount to be paid, the total amount of goods, and the required shipping costs.
For example, this order includes 4 suppliers, and the total amount is 16,755 yuan.
Please note that the shipping cost refers to the shipping cost from the supplier to our warehouse. Currently, the 1688 platform can only support shipping to China domestic address.
Next, we will follow up on the orders, with secondary tracking and reminders for suppliers who have not shipped within the agreed-upon time frame. Arriving packages are counted in a timely manner. Because sometimes, we found the missing pieces in the packages or some other problems, a timely check is necessary, and just in case if delay is too long.
Because the pending receipt time of the order is limited, if the problem is found only after the platform system automatically confirms the receipt of goods. And supplier does not recognize it, then we may need for the platform to intervene to deal with disputes, it is more complicated.
There are some buyers who just need us to help them count the quantity and spot-check the quality. There are also quite a few customers who need us to help them with labeling, hang tags, or assembly services.
We unpack and count the products we receive timely. And then re-pack or do labeling for the buyers who have special requirements.
After completing all of the above, we integrate and package the product. For textile goods, if buyers need to send by express or air freight, we suggest using compressed packages as a way to save volume and help buyers save the freight cost.
After packing all the goods, we will recommend the most suitable transportation method according to the number of cartons, the volume and weight of the goods, and the customer’s budget.
All-round purchasing service for our customers, from 1688.com buying, order follow-up, goods inspection, combined packing, labeling, repacking to shipping. Regardless of the size and complexity of the order, our professional team will do their best to provide quality service to our customers.